Career and Education Opportunities for Real Estate Agents in Omaha, Nebraska

Many educational and employment opportunities exist for real estate agents in the Omaha, Nebraska area. There are currently 1,580 jobs for real estate agents in Nebraska and this is projected to grow 9% to 1,720 jobs by 2016. This is not quite as good as the national trend for real estate agents, which sees this job pool growing by about 16.2% over the next eight years. Real estate agents generally rent, buy, or sell property for clients.

A person working as a real estate agent can expect to earn about $18 per hour or $38,580 annually on average in Nebraska and about $19 hourly or $40,150 annually on average in the U.S. as a whole. Incomes for real estate agents are better than in the overall category of Real Estate in Nebraska, and not quite as good as the overall Real Estate category nationally.

There are thirty-one schools of higher education in the Omaha area, including one within twenty-five miles of Omaha where you can get a degree to start your career as a real estate agent. Given that the most common education level for real estate agents is a high school diploma or GED, you can expect to spend only a short time studying to be a real estate agent if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Real Estate Agent

Real Estate Agent video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

Real estate agents present purchase offers to sellers for consideration. They also design networks of attorneys and contractors to whom clients may be referred. Equally important, real estate agents have to advise sellers on how to make homes more appealing to potential buyers. They are often called upon to answer clients' questions regarding construction work and appraisals. They are expected to direct appointments to show homes to prospective buyers. Finally, real estate agents arrange meetings between buyers and sellers when specifics of transactions need to be negotiated.

Every day, real estate agents are expected to be able to see details at a very fine level of focus. They need to articulate ideas and problems. It is also important that they listen to and understand others in meetings.

It is important for real estate agents to direct property closings, overseeing signing of documents and disbursement of funds. They are often called upon to evaluate mortgage options to help clients obtain financing at the best prevailing rates and terms. They also locate and appraise undeveloped areas for building sites, on the basis of evaluations of area market conditions. They are sometimes expected to manage title searches to establish whether clients have clear property titles. Somewhat less frequently, real estate agents are also expected to direct appointments to show homes to prospective buyers.

Real estate agents sometimes are asked to visit properties to gauge them before showing them to clients. and secure construction or purchase financing with own firm or mortgage company. And finally, they sometimes have to evaluate mortgage options to help clients obtain financing at the best prevailing rates and terms.

Like many other jobs, real estate agents must have exceptional integrity and be reliable.

Technical Service Representative. Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers where technical or scientific knowledge is required in such areas as biology, engineering, and electronics, normally obtained from at least 2 years of post-secondary education.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Real Estate Agent Training

University of Nebraska at Omaha - Omaha, NE

University of Nebraska at Omaha, 6001 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68182-0225. University of Nebraska at Omaha is a large university located in Omaha, Nebraska. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 14,213 students and an admission rate of 84%. University of Nebraska at Omaha has a bachelor's degree program in Real Estate which graduated three students in 2008.

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The purpose of Worldwide ERC Certified Relocation Professional program is to encourage members working in specific aspects of employee relocation to gain extensive and useful knowledge of all aspects of employee relocation.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska photo by Yassie

Omaha is located in Douglas County, Nebraska. It has a population of over 438,646, which has grown by 12.5% in the past ten years. The cost of living index in Omaha, 81, is well below the national average. New single-family homes in Omaha are valued at $105,100 on average, which is far less than the state average. In 2008, 1,576 new homes were built in Omaha, down from 1,905 the previous year.

The three big industries for women in Omaha are health care, educational services, and finance and insurance. For men, it is construction, accommodation and food services, and professional, scientific, and technical services. The average commute to work is about 18 minutes. More than 28.7% of Omaha residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 9.0%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Omaha is 4.7%, which is greater than Nebraska's average of 4.5%.

The percentage of Omaha residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 54.5%, is more than the national average but less than the state average. Calvary Baptist Church, Calvary Chapel of Omaha and Calvary Foursquare Gospel Church are all churches located in Omaha. The most common religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church.

Omaha is home to the Gibson and the Cedar Hills Golf Course as well as Al Caniglia Field and Adams Park. Shopping malls in the area include Frederick Square Shopping Center, North Park Shopping Center and Oak View Mall. Visitors to Omaha can choose from Countryside Suites, Hampton Inn Omaha-Central and Townhouse Inn for temporary stays in the area.